How to build credibility with customers?

“To be persuasive, we must be believable; to be believable, we must be credible; to be credible, we must be truthful.”

Building credibility and reputation in the consumers’ mind plays an important role in the make or break of a business. Whether you are a trustworthy and reliable operator is one of the defining factors that either encourages a customer to buy from you or not.

There are numerous ways you can help to build this with consumers and I’ve outlined a few of my favourites below:

Act with integrity and respond to bad publicity – be it online, in person or with the assistance of a PR agency. By responding in a positive and unemotional way, you will build credibility, how you handle bad publicity is crucial to building reputation.

Manage any online review sites like TripAdvisor, which have been established for your business. It’s important to respond to what people are saying about you online as it’s a chance to change a bad experience to a positive or enhance a good experience.

Win an industry or business award or achieve accreditation – this will help show that you are the expert in your field and also improves your competitive position.

Make sure you have a web and mobile presence! So many businesses are still yet to get a website or online presence and the simple fact is that if you’re not online you’re losing potential revenue everyday, as nowadays customers use online search and reviews as a key part of their decision making process.

Be true to what your business represents – focus on a particular market, don’t try and be everything to everyone. And make sure that you always act with integrity in everything you do. This means offering quality products and service for the life-cycle of the product or service.

Finally, make sure you give the best customer service – invest in training so your staff to provide customers with the best possible experience with your business, products & services. It’s harder to choose a competitor over a business that you love!